The Present
by Mewknight
Summary: An unexpected visit from Hatori. Kyo and Yuki wonder why. ShigureMpregXHatori. Raised up the rating because of violence! Just a snitch!
1. Chapter 1

The Present

"Breakfast time, breakfast time, all for me, breakfast time." Shigure sang softly to himself as he walked down his hall and into the living room.

"Oh! Ha'ri, what are you doing here so early in the morning? I think Tohru is in the kitchen, or maybe in her room ch-" Shigure said but got hit in the head with Hatori's briefcase.

"Ow! Ha'ri that hurt!" Shigure whined as he rubbed his head.

"You deserved it." Hatori said as he watched Shigure whimper.

"Ha'ri! You're so mean!"

"What is all that whining? It's just too early in the morning for that." Kyo complained as he walking into the living room. He just finished his training in the backyard.

"Wait, what is Hatori doing here?" Kyo questioned.

"Hatori's here?" Yuki asked, coming from the same hallway Shigure came just minutes before.

"Go to your room." Hatori whispered in Shigure's ear.

"There's not going to be a war or anything, Ha'ri." Shigure said aloud.

"I'm giving you a simple chore. Now do it."

"But I didn't have my breakfast!" Shigure complained. Hatori gave a little shove to the dog and Shigure sniffled.

"You're so mean Ha'ri!" Shigure said and walked down his hall and into his bedroom again.

"Now Yuki, I want you to watch Shigure's room. Don't let anyone pass or enter his door." Hatori instructed to the rat.

"What ever for?" Kyo asked.

"I'm giving Shigure his check-up." Hatori said and walked down the hallway.

"His check-up?! You came to check him up just last month! He's not sick or anything!" The doctor heard the cat yell.

"Actually, he was. He vomited just yesterday remember? Oh, that's right. You don't because you're an idiot." Hatori heard the rat say. He closed off anything else the two spat out at each other and entered Shigure's room. The doctor found the dog sitting against the wall that was right of his desk.

"Oh there you are Ha'ri! I-"

"Strip down to your waist." Hatori instructed and settled his briefcase on the floor, pulling out his stethoscope. Shigure frowned as he heard some crashing noise outside. He quickly crawled over to his door and slid his paper door open.

"Yuki! Kyo! I hope you didn't wreck my house again!" Shigure hollered down the hallway.

"I do have a needle that I would happily use on you. It is your check-up after all." Hatori threatened the dog and Shigure sadly closed his paper door and crawled back to the wall.

When Shigure followed his cousin's instruction, Hatori put the ear buds of his stethoscope in his ears and gently pressed the silver disk on the dog's stomach, looking for a little fast heartbeat.

"Cold…" Shigure mumbled. Hatori ignored the dog and continued to listen to the little beat. Healthy. The doctor put his instrument away in his briefcase and instructed Shigure to put his robe back on.

"Ha'ri-" Shigure started after he fixed his robe.

"Hm?" Hatori faced the dog after he closed his briefcase. The dog's black hair was covering his eyes and his head was bowed.

"He has found out…" Shigure said in a low voice. Hatori stopped breathing for a moment.

"What are we going to do…?" Shigure sad through a sob then looked up. Tears stained his cheeks and his hands gripped his robe to hold himself steady. Hatori crawled over to the dog and gently kissed Shigure on the forehead.

"What we can do now is get your breakfast." The doctor said, standing up. A smile crept on the dog's face and Hatori outstretched his hand.

"Aw, Ha'ri." Shigure said as he took his cousin's hand and stood up. Shigure wrapped his arms around the doctor's neck and kissed the doctor passionately. Hatori embraced the dog and hugged Shigure tight. Then the paper door suddenly opened.

"Hatori, Shigure, are you- uh…" Yuki said and looked at the too. Luckily, Shigure covered their embrace, quickly enough for Yuki to not notice, by slumping over Hatori.

"Whoops, I slipped. Silly me!" The dog slipped out of Hatori's arms and wore a smile.

"So what were you saying Yuki?" Shigure asked.

"Uh, miss Honda said breakfast is ready."

"Ah, I can't wait for out little flower's cooking! Come on Ha'ri!" Shigure said as he grabbed Hatori's suit sleeve and sang his little song again. The dog happily dragged the dragon out of his room and down the hallway. Yuki followed after the two and shook his head.

_"This is going to be a strange- no, a different experience than I had with Kana. But what we can do now is in the present and not what is going to be in the future." _Hatori thought as he felt Shigure let go of his sleeve and join Tohru and Kyo at the table. He watched Kyo complain when Yuki joined the table, making Tohru sweat drop. Shigure sat at the table and frowned, looking at his now broken paper door. A breeze blew in from the opening, bringing in Sakura blossoms. Hatori smiled.

_"Yes, and a very interesting one." _Hatori put down his briefcase and joined the family, sitting down next to the dog and secretly holding Shigure's hand under the table.

"Now, now kids. If you keep on arguing, Tohru's lovely breakfast would sadly go to waste. And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Kyo and Yuki dug into their breakfasts before Shigure even finished his sentence.

"You need to eat too." Hatori pointed out.

"All right, Ha'ri." Shigure said and dug into his breakfast as well. Kyo and Yuki stopped eating for a split second for they were wondering why Hatori and Shigure were calm with each other, but then they just let it slide. Tohru didn't even notice the freeze and started on her breakfast, smiling her face off. Hatori squeezed Shigure's hand once and started on his own. The Sakura blossoms rolled away by the breeze and disappeared through another open door and rode the wind once again.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's note: Shigure is in his fourth month. And if you didn't get who Shigure was refering to, "he", he was talking about Akito! Dun, dun, dun, dun! XP Hope you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

The Present – Chapter 2

A paper door opened and a man in a blue robe entered the dark room. He kneeled in the middle of the room and watched the owner of the room in the corner of his eye.

"Akito." The man greeted in a soft but serious tone. The owner was lying on the floor just at the left of the man with another paper door open. The owner, Akito, was lying right at the opening. Moonbeams reflected off of Akito, looking like he is glowing.

"Is something _wrong_ with you, Shigure?" Akito said in a low and taunting voice. The man, Shigure, didn't say anything. He just watched Akito stand up with such grace that he didn't make any noise.

"You've been coming here later than usual," Akito continued, "you even _talked back_ to me and even cried right in front of me…" The Head paused to flash a glare at the dog.

"Are you_ pregnant?"_ Shigure's heart pounded against his chest.

"Men can't get pregnant, you know that as much as I do." Shigure said with a smile.

"Well then…ask that foul thing yourself!!" Somehow Akito was suddenly right in front of Shigure in a second, surprising the dog. But what was really breathtaking was when Shigure felt a hot and burning sensation across his abdomin. The feeling was so sudden that his hand instinctively flew to his middle. When he lifted his hand off of his abdomin, he saw his hand was drenched in blood and a small peach object was in his palm, a fetus. Shigure shook, his eyes grew wide, and his breathing jerked as he stared at what was in his hand. His eyes snapped up at Akito's direction for he saw something glint in the Head's hand. It was a knife with his blood on it. His-Shigure's.

XxXxXxXxX

Shigure heard a blinding scream as he bolted up in bed. He noticed it was himself screaming when he saw his own reflection in his computer screen, a scared and terrified face. Shigure looked away from the screen so he wouldn't see the face anymore.

"Akito…" Shigure whispered as he clutched his robe where he knew his unborn child still lay. He brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face into then. Muffled sounds came from the dog as his shoulders shook and his heart became heavy. The sky outside was still dark but the sun would come up in anhour or two later, to shine upon the world and wake up the animals that slept there.

XxXxXxXxX

"Oh! Shigure, good morning!" Tohru greeted the writer in her usual cheerful voice. She was just setting up breakfast.

"Hn…" He didn't make much effort to greet his favorite young high school girl. After Shigure woke up from his nightmare, he didn't sleep.

_"I must look awful…"_ Shigure thought as he made his way to the table. As he sat down, a big sigh escaped his lips.

"Are you ok, Shigure? You don't look so good." Tohru said with concern as she knelt beside the dog. Shigure's expression changed in a snap.

"You think I haven't noticed?!" Shigure barked.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked…" Tohru immediately apologized.

"No, no Tohru. It's all right." Shigure said as he realized what he had done. Yell at a certain young high school girl.

_"I __must__ look terrible…"_ Shigure thought as he ran his fingers through his hair, which were matted. He imagined he had red puffy rings under his eyes and the veins in his eyes are visible.

"Hey." Kyo greeted as he opened the paper door that led to the garden. He just finished his morning training.

"Good morning, Kyo!" Tohru greeted just like she did with Shigure, cheerful. Kyo gave one look at Shigure then raised an eyebrow.

"You know old man, Halloween's over."

"Good morning." Yuki said as he walked into the living room.

"Good morning Yuki!"

"Ah! Shigure, why do you look like that?" Yuki asked as he too raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! I just asked him that d-" Kyo blurted out. As a result, a flying plate hit him in the forehead. Yolk and bacon dripped down the cat's face.

"Bullseye."

"That was my breakfast." Shigure said as he frowned.

"Well, he wouldn't have stopped jabbering this morning if I didn't hit him. He just needs to keep his mouth shut." Yuki said as he sat down at the table.

"I can make you some more Shigure! I don't mind." Tohru said as she quickly walked to the kichen. Kyo was sitting on the ground, rubbing his forehead. The plate that Yuki threw seemed to not have broken when it reached the ground.

"Aaugh! That hurt!"

"Well you should have kept your mouth shut." Yuki challenged.

"You should have, you-" Kyo started.

"Don't waste our flower's cooking, Kyo. You shouldn't waste _fresh, hot, melt-in-your-mouth-_" Shigure interrupted, emphasizing his descriptions.

"If you think it's so great, why don't you eat it yourself?!" Kyo yelled as he picked up a piece of bacon from the floor.

"I would be glad to, but…it's been on the floor." Shigure smiled, pausing to frown and sigh.

"You're a dog!"

"Kyo, I only turn into a dog. I'm not actually one. Just like you."

"Bu- …you're so full of it!!" Kyo continued to yell, balling his hands into fists.

"I told you to be quiet, you stupid cat." Yuki said again. Kyo growled.

"Kyo, be a good boy and eat your breakfast. You don't want it to be cold when you eat it. Doesn't taste very good." Shigure made a face that looked like he just ate a Lemon Head then he laughed.

"Here you go Shigure!" Tohru said as she placed his plate at his spot on the table.

When everybody sat in their seats, the dog made a toast.

"Thank you Tohru for a lovely and delicious breakfast once again."

"And how do you know?! You haven't even tasted it yet!" Kyo blurted out.

"You and I both know that Tohru's cooking is the best we've ever tasted since-" Shigure started.

"I-it's not that-" Tohru slightly blushed as she added herself into the conversation.

"Yeah right!! There is other things that-"

"Hah… I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut. Oh that's right. You don't listen because you're stup-" Yuki added himself as well.

"You have no right to order me-" Kyo continued to yell. But what stopped the two from continuing to argue was a certain angry dog.

"Have any of you know your voice level?! It's…it's just so… Aaugh! You're giving me a splitting headache!" Shigure yelled as he stood up with his hand holding his cranium.

"S-Shigure, where are you going?" Tohru asked with concern as she watched the dog walk away.

"I'm going to bed." Shigure said through gritted teeth as he slammed his bedroom door shut behind him. The three winced then sat at the breakfast table in silence.

"What's wrong with that old man?" Kyo said as he scratched his head.

"Nothing is wrong with him. He was correct." Yuki said.

"Huh?"

"He was talking about you."

"What?!-" Kyo snapped but stopped yelling again when he followed Yuki's finger that pointed to Shigure's room.

"I wasn't the only one! He yelled too!" Kyo whispered.

"W-we should eat because we need to get to school!" Tohru said as she put on a straight face, changing the subject.

When the three finished breakfast and cleaned up the table, Tohru packed Shigure's breakfast in a bento box. She added some rice to it just in case the novelist eats the meal during lunchtime.

"Oi! Come on! We're going to be late!" Kyo called out to the high school girl. The rat and the cat were already outside.

"Coming!" Tohru responded, taping a note to the bento. She left the bento on the kitchen counter and quickly headed out to join the two boys.

XxXxXxXxX

"Shigure,

Here's your breakfast. I mixed in some rice. Microwave it for 1 min. 30 or so. Good luck!" The note read. Shigure opened the bento box and found his bacon and eggs and a scoop of rice, just as the letter had said. His stomach growled loudly as he stared at the food in front of him so he put the box in the microwave, pressed some buttons, and watched the food turn as the microwaves cooked his breakfast. Shigure checked the clock that was on the kitchen wall. It read 11:25 am. They ate breakfast at about 7:15. So he slept 4 hours and 10 min. No disturbances. Weird, but pleasant.

"Wait, there's one more minute." Shigure said as his stomach growled again.

When the microwave beeped, Shigure took out his steaming hot meal and sat at the eating table, with eating utensils of course. The dog took a deep breath and sighed as he smelt his meal then dug into it. The food smelt heavenly, even tasted like it too.

"Tohru's cooking…" Shigure thought as he was enjoying his breakfast/lunch.

When he was done, He sat back on his palms and contently sighed.

"Are you satisfied now?" Shigure spoke in a soft tone as he patted his stomach, relieved that he was full. He glanced at the clock. It read 11:32. He packed up his bento, put it in the sink, and walked into his room.

He took his time typing his story that he was working on, on his computer. He took a break to stare at himself in his reflection onto the computer screen. His eyes were still red and the rings under his eyes were still noticeable; well they can't disappear in just 4 hours. He shook his head and closed his eyes as he did so to get rid of that image again. He has never looked overworked or stressed before; well that was before. Now he is in a difficult situation, something that could be explained but not understood. Kind of like their family curse. Could be explained but not understood.

"Oh my god…" Shigure whispered as he covered his face with his hands. His clock beeped 11:50, making him remove his hands from his face with a start. The dog sighed, as he knew why his clock beeped at that certain time. Akito. It was the time when he would leave his home and visit the Head.

Shigure groaned as he rubbed his eyes. Akito. He would have to visit _him._ He kept a promise to himself long ago. Even in his condition, he would have to go. He never stopped going to the Main House to visit Akito before. Shigure saved his manuscript, looked back to see if anything would fall in his absence, and left the house. Just like that. Nothing stirred except only the beeping of the dog's alarm clock, which in time would automatically stop. But time wouldn't stop. What lay ahead would eventually come. Time flies forward. Just like that.

xXxXxXxXx

"Welcome Shigure." A man and a woman greeted him as they bowed. Shigure bowed back.

"Hello." Shigure greeted as he smiled. He walked into the Main house, of course exchanging more greetings with other relatives, and found the dark hallway that lead to Akito's room. Most of the cursed people never visit the Head. Others that do dare themselves to go and talk with _him._ Only a few go to _him_ regularly, one of them is Shigure.

"Good morning." Shigure said in a soft but serious voice as he closed the paper door.

"_What_ are you doing here?" Akito spoke in a low and calm voice, but there was a hint of venom in it.

"I came to see you of course." Shigure said calmly as he took a few steps inside the room. The Head's back was to him. A white small bird was perched on top of his index finger.

"Shigure…" Akito said in a delighted tone, but Shigure knew Akito wasn't smiling. The white bird flew away as the Head turned around.

"Shigure…I asked you…" Akito continued as he took long strides toward the dog. Shigure stood his ground.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" A fist hit cheekbone, wood and paper broke, a loud thump was heard, and a body slumped against the wall.

"You just won't listen, just like the disgusting mutt you are!" Akito hissed as he slowly stepped closer to Shigure. Shgure just layed there, eyes wide, breathing jerked with every step the Head took. Nobody came to look what had happened. Akito's room was isolated anyway (but how big is the Main house?! Would it kill you to be concerned?! Yes, it would. We're talking about Akito here, of course.)

Akito sickly smirked as he chuckled pitifully. Shigure gulped as he remembered what happened three days ago.

"_Akito."_

"_Is something _wrong _with you Shigure?"_

"_You've bee coming here later than usual. You even _talked back _to me and even cried right in front of me."_

"_What are you getting at, Akito?" I dared to ask as I smiled. My head jerked shockingly to the side as a palm hit my cheek. My cheek burned like fire._

"_Don't you dare lie to me! You threw up just before you got here, didn't you?!" Akito yelled as he thrusted a finger at me._

"_What do you mean-" I tried to keep my composer._

_Akito jabbed his toe into my gut, "You have something disgusting in there, don't you mutt?!"_

"_Why would I-" He cut me off again. He moved his foot onto my chest and pushed me down._

"_Don't play dumb with me! You're pregnant aren't you?!" Akito yelled as he shook with anger._

"_How…?" I asked dumbly._

"_Don't think I can't tell. I'm not dumb like you." He hissed as he hit me again, but this time it was my other cheek._

"_I could kill that foul thing right now, but…I have other plans. Get out of my face, you dirty mutt. I have no need with you." He let go of me and turned his back to me. As my body shook with fear, I scramble partly to my feet and crawled out of the Main house, running as though my life depended on it, back to the comfortable home I was most familiar with, back with Tohru…_

"What are you doing, Shigure? Do I need to bring you to _that_ room?" Akito whispered in the dog's ear, very slowly. Shigure didn't answer or make any movement. Akito was very close to him that he could feel the Head's breath on his neck and the heat rising off of their skin.

"Come on, _say_ something." Akito hissed, digging his nails into the dog's gut.

"N-no!" Finding his voice and himself, he punched Akito in the jaw. The Head flew a couple of feet away, but enough away from the dog.

"Heh…you think doing that…COULD CHANGE ANYTHING?!" Akito wiped off the blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand as he stood then charged for the dog, screaming. Shigure was already a step ahead of Akito. Just after he punched the Head of the Sohmas', he scrambled up to his feet and ran.

"SHIGURE!!!" Shigure heard a terrible screech but he didn't look back.

"Omf!" Seemed that Shigure wasn't paying attention because when he reached the end of the dark hall, his frightened face met with warm, rough fabric.

"Shigure?" A familiar monotone voice spoke. Shigure shut his eyes tight and tried to continue to run but a hand grabbed the sleeve of his robe, forcefully pulling the dog back and into the rough, warm fabric again.

"Ha-oh, Akito." Another familiar voice spoke in a whisper.

"The snake and the seahorse, how _lucky_ you are, disgusting mutt!" Shigure winced as he could hear the Head's footsteps dangerously walk forward, toward him.

"Take him to a place far from here, Ayame. I'll deal with Akito." The first voice instructed in a whisper as he moved Shigure into Ayame's hands.

"Come Gure, we better go." Ayame continued to whisper as he shuffled his close friend out to the Main house as fast as they could. Hatori stood there where the two left him, watching the Head glare and breath heavily from tiredness and anger.

"So you're the freak's father, aren't you seahorse?!" Akito hissed. Hatori didn't say a word. He walked up to the Head and covered Akito's eyes with his hand. Akito smirked.

"You can't erase my memories Hatori, I never gave you an order." Hatori stuck his free hand into his vest pocket and took out a needle.

"I never thought about doing that, Akito." Hatori stuck the needle into Akito's arm and drained the liquid into the Head's veins.

"Hatori…!" Akito hissed through gritted teeth before knocking out. Hatori caught the Head just before he fell to the ground.

"Excuse me, miss? Would you take him to bed? I need to walk out for a moment." Hatori called on a young lady that walked by.

"Yes, sir." She bowed and took Akito. The doctor nodded once then jogged out of the Main house. He knew where Ayame took the dog, to Shigure Sohma household.

xXxXxXxXx

A paper door slammed open, four rushed footsteps ran through the house, another slam of a paper door, and two tired out friends collapse to the floor.

"Gure…are you ok…?" Ayame asked through gasps of breath. The silver haired was lying on his stomach. The raven-haired was lying on his side. The dog's arms were around his waist and his face looked pale.

"I…I don't feel so good…Aaya…He was about to…to…" Shigure couldn't finish. His hands clutched at his robe and tears began to form in his eyes. Ayame frowned and sat up, bringing his close friend with him. The silver haired wrapped his arms around the dog's shoulders and resting his chin on warm, matted black hair. Shigure's cheek rested on Ayame's chest.

xXxXxXxXx

Another pair of footsteps walked into the home. A closing of a paper door, a pause, more footsteps, and another pause at the threshold of the dog's bedroom.

"Ha'ri." Ayame whispered, relieved. The snake was still cradling the dog. Hatori kneeled in front of the dog and placed his index finger and his middle finger on Shigure's neck. A normal pulse.

"He's sleeping." Ayame told the dragon. Hatori stood up, got Shigure's futon our of the writer's closet, and laid the futon next to the silver haired.

"Lie him down." The doctor instructed. When the snake lay Shigure on his back, Hatori took out his stethoscope out of his many pockets in his vest, opened up the dog's robe so the stomach showed, and pressed the silver disk on top the dog's belly, just like yesterday. He listened. A quick heartbeat drummed in his ears. Just like yesterday.

"Is it alright…?" Ayame whispered. Hatori nodded once as he put away his instrument. He sat beside the sleeping dog and pushed away some stray bangs away from the dog's face.

"He really is with child, isn't he?" Ayame asked as he too watched Shigure sleep. Just before they had an unexpected visit with Akito, Ayame decided to pop-up in Hatori's office.

_"Hey, what're you doing Hatori?" The snake asked as he popped up right by the doctor's desk. Hatori continued with his work, not surprised about Ayame popping up all of a sudden, certainly in his office._

_"What are you doing here Ayame?"_

_"Well, just on my break and the first thing that popped up in my head was to visit you, Hatori!"_

_Scribble, scribble, rustle of papers, more scribbles, "What about Shigure?"_

_"Hm, I'm guessing he's not home." Ayame said, closing his eyes and scrunching up his nose, concentrating. Hatori paused for a second to look at the snake._

_"I am using friend-telepathy." Hatori just stared at the silver haired for another second then continued on his work._

_"Hey! Why are Gure's medical files on your desk?" Ayame said, seems he's already done using his friend-telepathy. The snake snatched up the file and started to look at it._

_"Ayame!" Hatori said as he tried to get back the file but when he say a confused expression on the silver head's face, he stopped, knowing why._

_"Shigure- 100% …fetus…100%…why did you test a baby's health and write it down below Gure's results…?" Ayame asked, his yellow eyes wide. Hatori let out a sigh as he closed his eyes._

_"I guess it's about time you should know this. You can't tell anyone else, you swear on that?" The doctor paused to see Ayame nod in agreement._

_"I was surprised as you, but Shigure is indeed pregnant. He's four months along. Nobody else knows about this except us three." Hatori continued. Ayame gaped then gulped. Hatori knew he gave a lot of info to swallow, but it was the truth._

_"…Who's the father?"_

_"…He's right in front of you." Hatori answered, looking away. He knew Shigure was his cousin. He knew that Ayame was Shigure's best friend as well as cousin. He remembered that when he told Ayame that he and Shigure were lovers, the silver head was shocked, just like now. But what he didn't know and remember was that the dog could become pregnant._

_"But how could he…become pregnant? I mean, he's a male, like you and I. Or is he hiding something from us?" Ayame said, laughing awkwardly as he said his last sentence. Hatori shook his head._

_"I am not sure how he produced an egg and a uterus, but a fetus developed and is successfully growing…" The doctor left his sentence linger as he started at the ground. If Kana was pregnant with his child, then- no. Kana would never carry a child with a mix of his DNA. He could never get back together with her and have a child together and have a happy life. No, the one that __is__ carrying his child that has a mix with his DNA is Shigure. Yes, it does sound very strange and sick, but love is blind. He is happy that Shigure agreed in keeping their child when they first found out, about one month ago-_

_"CRASH!" A loud breaking of wood and paper echoed through the halls, cutting off Hatori's thoughts._

_"What was that?" Ayame asked. Hatori didn't answer, he was already out the door._

_"Oh, Ha'ri! Wait up!" Ayame called as he followed, or tried to. The doctor seemed to be walking double times as fast as he normally does._

_When the snake caught up to the dragon, he saw_ him_ there. The unexpected visit with Akito._

"I'm going to get ice. His cheek looks like it's swelling." Hatori said as he stood up.

"Hm. Ok." Ayame said, not taking his eyes off of the dog. The snake heard Shigure's paper door open and silently close shut as the doctor left to get the ice. Ayame again lay on his side, watched Shigure's calm face and the rising and falling of his chest one last time before he closed his eyes and too fell asleep.

XxXxXxXxX

As Hatori closed the freezer, with the bag of ice in hand, he looked at the clock on the wall. It read 10 min. before 2. He felt some ice move in the bag that he carried. The frozen blocks of water are melting.

When Hatori got back to Shigure's room, he felt like he was in school again. He knelt beside the dog and put the bag of ice against Shigure's swelling cheek. He held the back of the dog's head so he could properly place the bag in the right spot. As he did this, he felt another swelling.

_"He must have hit his head."_ Hatori noted as he remembered the loud noise just hours before. He propped Shigure's cheek against the bag of ice then stood up and walked to the dog's closet again, pulling a blanket out. He draped the blanket over the two, tucked them in, and sat back down beside the dog. He saw Ayame shift then the silver haired's face scrunched up in worry. The doctor then heard Shigure whimper. Bad dreams. Probably of today. That's what dreams are, mostly. If other people saw them, they would think, "Are they twins?" But the people who knew them, they might think, "Wow, they're really close…" Hatori briefly thought that.

_"Even though he points out all of the qualities I have, I'm sure he loves Shigure too."_ Hatori thought as he reached over the sleeping Shigure and grabbed the snake's hand. He laid the silver haired's hand over the dog's and saw both hands twitch. Fingers interlock and faces relax. Having the same dream.

_"Now they would sleep easily…"_ The doctor thought as he stood up again and left the room to get another bag of ice.

XxXxXxXxX

"Shigure! We're home!" Yuki called the novelist as he walked into the house.

"Shigure?" Tohru called as well as she followed Yuki inside the house.

"He probably isn't home." Kyo reasoned as he walked past the two.

"Stop reading my mind, stupid cat."

"Stop reading _my_ mind, you d-"

"Kyo, Yuki…" A familiar monotone voice spoke, stopping the two from fighting any further.

"H-Hatori!!" Tohru's hair stuck up as she screamed, shocked to see the older man at the threshold of the living room.

"What're you doing here?" Kyo asked.

"I would ask the same thing." Yuki glared at Kyo as he said his sentence. Orange eyes glared back at purple.

"I best be going." Hatori excused himself as he started to walk toward the front door.

"Oh, before I forget…when Shigure and Ayame wake, take care of them for me." The dragon said as he turned his body so he was facing the teens then turned his back to them and continued toward the front door.

"Ayame's here too?!" Tohru asked as her eyes sparkled with excitement. Yuki paled at the idea that his older brother was sleeping in the room that was very close to the living room. Kyo was inching toward the window to escape to where he felt safe, the roof.

"Ha'ri! Wait!" A sudden outburst froze everyone of what they were doing to look in the direction the voice came from. It was Shigure who spoke. The dog had a sad look in his eyes. The puppy-dog eyes.

But a second later, Shigure replaced his "puppy-dog eyes" with a smile.

"You know Ha'ri, leaving unexpectedly is rude! Ow!" Shigure winced as he rubbed his forehead. The dragon had given him a "forehead pin."

"You deserved it. Now, come on." Hatori said as he grabbed the dog's collar, intending to drag the dog, if needed.

"Aw, but I'm hungry!" Shigure whined.

"Then you should finish your manuscript before that editor of yours does something drastic." Hatori said as he started to drag the dog.

_"Either way, Shigure would somehow make that women do a drastic thing. Manuscript done or not."_ Yuki thought.

"And what do you know if I am done or not?" Shigure stubbornly crossed his arms across his chest.

"Just come on." Hatori said, trying not to laugh.

"But I'm hungry!" Shigure whined again.

"Stop whining old man! How can you be hungry? It's only 3!" Kyo complained.

"3:15 to be exact." Hatori corrected. Kyo breathed out, annoyed.

"I'm sorry Shigure! I'll make you a snack, ok?" Tohru frowned then jogged into the kitchen.

"Ok! Thanks Tohru!" Shigure said in a helpless tone. After that, his bedroom door shut behind him and everything got quiet.

_"I thought he would never stop."_ Yuki and Kyo thought. But just as they were relieved to not hear the dog's whine ring though their ears, another thought dawned on them.

_"But _he's _still here!"_

XxXxXxXxX

Author's not: _He_ meaning Ayame! Ha ha… Wow! This is the longest chapter I've ever written! Now, onto the next chappy! Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

The Present- Chapter 3

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to update. But here it is, have fun!

XxXxXxXxX

Sheets rustle and a black figure moves about in the dark.

"I love you, Ha'ri." A voice whispered as the owner of the voice leaned to his right to kiss the sleeping figure on the forehead. Light footsteps moved about in the dark and the silent closing of the paper door was heard before everything was quiet again…except the slow breathing of the sleeping doctor.

XxXxXxXxX

"How could I forget…?" Shigure mumbled to himself as he stood beside a bush, which stood beside the pathway that led to the Main House. On the far right of the Main House was a window, Akito's window.

_"You just vomited just before you came here, didn't you?!"_ Akito had yelled early in the last month. The dog could still see the round-ish stain at the trunk of the bush. Shigure sighed as he turned to leave; not wanting Akito to find out he's there. After that incident with Akito, he decided to not visit the Head anymore, for the sake of his unborn child.

As Shigure started to leave, a voice startled him. A voice he didn't want to hear.

"So you came back, Shigure. I thought I wasn't going to see you again." Akito smiled. But it was not a real smile.

"Akito…" Shigure breathed as he frowned, shielding his now showing bump with his arm.

"So you still have that filthy child, mutt?" Akito's smile faded in an instant as the Head started down the steps of the Main House. Shigure took a step back, keeping his eyes on Akito.

"It has grown so big! Is it a she or a he?" The Head said, walking at a calm pace toward the dog. Akito's smile had returned.

"…It's a boy."

"A boy…? Hm…" Akito said as he was now standing directly in front of the dog. A long silence impregnated the air as the Head's lips slowly grew into a smirk.

"May I?" Akito outstretched his hand. Shigure hesitated.

"I'm not going to hurt it. I just want to feel your _precious_ boy." Shigure could see anger growing in the Head's eyes. He mad his free hand into a fist for a moment then slowly slid his arm down his stomach. His hand returned to his side.

"Good Shigure…" Akito whispered as he placed his hand on Shigure's stomach.

"You know Shigure," The Head continued, pausing to glide his hand across the dog's belly, "have you ever thought about a name for it?"

"A couple…"

"What are the names?"

"Vic or Raymond." Shigure listed.

"Really…? What about…Akito?" The Head continued gliding his hand across the dog's belly.

"Well, wouldn't that be confusing?" Shigure laughed.

"Yes…it would." Akito spoke in a low voice.

"Ugh!"

XxXxXxXxX

Soft rays of sunlight lightened the dark room, awakening the sleeping dragon.

"Shigure…wake up, it's morning." Hatori whispered. Still half asleep, the doctor sat up, scratching his head to wake himself up.

"Shigure…" Hatori said again as he moved his left hand to his left to shake the being, who was silent. But something dawned on him when he felt his hand only touch air and the bed sheets; the dog wasn't there. Green eyes grew wide as he stopped all movement. His eyes darted to the left, unsure if his feeling of panic is all just nothing to worry about in the end.

"Wait, think rationally here. He might be in the restroom or the kitchen." Hatori mumbled to himself, trying to reassure his nerves that the dog is happily walking around and annoying the teens as usual…and not elsewhere. With that in mind, he dressed himself (since his clothes were sprawled all over the floor and he wasn't in the Main House) and, quickly that expected, walked down the hall and into the bathroom. But to his disappointment, Shigure wasn't there. Water rushed as the left knob was twisted counter-clockwise. The doctor grabbed a towel from the cabinet that stood against the wall across from the tub and placed the towel on the edge of the wooden tub. After the tub was filled, he stripped off his clothes once again and sank into the hot steaming water.

He was just about to relax when the bathroom door suddenly opened, revealing a beat red brunette.

"H-Hatori!! I'm so sorry!!" Tohru quickly covered her eyes.

"I-I just thought S-Shigure was here-" The brunette continued but Hatori suddenly budded in.

"Shigure…isn't home?" Hatori said, saying the dog's name faster than he expected, pausing to calm himself. His wet slippery hands gripped the side of the tub as he stared at the girl, waiting for her to go on with an answer and maybe an explanation if he was lucky.

"M-mhm! I didn't see him when I went into the kitchen or the living room. Yuki and Kyo asked of him but…I just thought he was in the tub, so I came to look and-" Tohru explained but she stopped when she heard water splashing and wet feet touch the tiled cold floor.

"Go grab one of Shigure's biggest robes you can find, Tohru." Hatori commanded as he picked up his towel and dried himself off as quickly as he could. Even though he doesn't like to dress in robes since they are difficult and a slow process to put on, he didn't really have a choice because of 1: he wasn't in the main house to change into a fresh suit and 2: he was glad that Shigure had a robe that was big on the dog because he was with child. But the doctor made a mental note to wear his underwear (of course) plus his white button-down shirt just in case the robe loosened for he planned on running. He somehow knew where the dog is and went. His gut told him so.

The brunette nodded and hurriedly left the room, power-walking toward Shigure's room.

_"This is going to take a while, Shigure."_ Hatori thought as he let out a breath, going on to his next task, dressing himself in his button-down shirt and underwear.

XxXxXxXxX

"Yes…it would." The Head took a step forward and as he did that, he put pressure, a lot of it, onto the dog's stomach. With that sudden push, Shigure's feet faltered and the dog slipped.

"Ugh!" Shigure's back hit the ground making him arch and wince in pain. Not because his back buzzed and felt hot because he skid a little, but because…he was having an early labor, too early. Brown eyes grew wide as he gasped then rolled into a ball because of the sudden pain.

"My, my. What's the matter, mutt…?" Akito sarcastically said as he cocked his head.

Shigure panted with pain and confusion in his eyes, the dog asked, "Why'd you-"

"Why? WHY?! Because of that," Akito paused to point a shaking finger at Shigure's stomach, "that _thing_! Because you slept with that woman and a man, producing what you hold in your gut!" As he said this, the Head grabbed a bunch of matted black hair in his fist and dragged the dog by the hair toward the Main House. Shigure whimpered, holding his stomach plus trying to release the Head's grip on his hair at the same time.

"Shut up!!!" Akito hissed as he continued to drag the pregnant man. The Head pulled on the dog's hair even more when they got to the stairs.

XxXxXxXxX

"Hey, old man-" Kyo started as he saw Hatori suddenly walk outside.

"Hatori! Wait! Are you leaving?" Tohru called out after the doctor.

"Leaving? You can't-" Kyo started again.

"-Leave us without a guardian." Yuki finished the cat's sentence, for some odd reason. After what the silver haired said, the two rivals did a glaring contest once again.

"I must be going. I have an important errand to do. So long." The doctor said then turned his back to the teens and started to walk away. (Dejavu?)

"Where's he going?" Yuki asked as he watched the doctor grow smaller.

"Who cares? I'm going inside…" Kyo spat, mumbling the rest of his sentence as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked inside the house.

"Miss Honda, you coming?" Yuki asked the brunette, deciding to also go back inside the dog's home.

"Yes!" Tohru said, smiling.

_"I hope you'll find him, Hatori."_ Tohru thought, knowing now why Hatori left suddenly, and followed Yuki inside.

_"I'm coming, Shigure."_ Hatori thought as he started to run when he didn't see anybody outside the dog's home. He figured out where Shigure might be at that moment, the Main House.

XxXxXxXxX

"Ah!" Shigure gasped when he hit the floor, again. The dog was in "the room" where Yuki was whipped when he was little. The dog continued the gasp as he returned to clutching his middle.

"Shut up you nasty mutt!" Akito yelled as the Head picked up his whip that lay on the floor.

"Now then…I'll show you the punishment for disobeying me!" A whip cracked and a howl of pain was heard, echoing throughout the room and probably the halls outside "the room". The Head just ignored the dog and continued to whip. Shigure tried inching away from the whip and Akito but as he moved, the leather whacked his exposed limbs.

"Aki-AH! …S-stop-" Shigure tried to reason with the Head, but Akito didn't succumb.

"I OWN YOU! YOU CAN'T DISOBEY ME!" Akito yelled angrily as he continued to whack the dog.

XxXxXxXxX

The doctor panted as he leaned on a tree to pace himself, almost doubling over. After he caught his breath and his heart stopped beating hard against his chest, he looked up and stared at what's in front of him, the Main House. The dragon could faintly hear screaming in the Main House, a familiar scream.

"Shigure…!" Hatori breathed as he pushed off of the tree and started to run again, up the stairs and into the Main House, where something horrible lurks in that Room, the torture room.

XxXxXxXxX

"AH!"

"Shut up!"

"CRACK!" Went the whip. Shigure was in a tight ball by now. Akito just kept whipping the dog and yelling at the dog to be quiet.

"This is for your own good, dog!"

_"My own good? Akito, if you keep this going, you'll lose…"_ Shigure thought but his thoughts trailed off as his eyes slowly grew wide and his voice was caught in his throat. No noise came out of the dog and a certain body went limp. The cracking of the whip came fewer and fewer as the seconds ticked by.

"Huh…good dog." Akito whispered as he let out a contented breath and folded his whip back up. The Head turned around, intending to leave the dark room and the still-lying dog, but a certain doctor slid open the paper door from the outside and stood in the doorway, preventing the Head to continue walking out of the room.

"Akito…" Hatori whispered, trying to suppress his tiredness.

"Heh…so you are the father of that filth," Akito smirked but paused to change his expression, "move aside, seahorse." The Head said firmly with no smile or a smirk on his lips. Hatori stiffly moved aside.

"Oh, and one more thing. I took care of that mutt. It was making too much noise." The Head continued when he was side-by-side with the dragon. Akito didn't look up to talk to Hatori face-to-face. He kept his gaze on the hall wall that was right in front of him, his expression not changing at all as he spoke. After that, the Head continued walking, deciding that he was done giving the dog what he deserves, and walked toward his room, where he silently closed his paper door behind him.

Hatori watched Akito leave, knowing that Shigure was in pain when he was at the door of the Main House, since he heard the dog's screams. But what the doctor didn't know was that Akito would go so far as to bring his lover into "the room", with his whip no less.

At the thought of Shigure in pain and whip, Hatori suddenly gasped and started to look around the dark room for the injured dog. The older man found the motionless writer in the middle of the floor. The dog's kimono was ripped and little bleeding lines of red were on the pale skin of the dog.

_"Akito, you have gone too far."_ Hatori thought as he ran toward the motionless Shigure and dropped to his knees beside his lover, gingerly grabbing the dog's shoulders. The doctor slowly moved the writer to a sitting position, finding the falling and rising of Shigure's bare chest.

_"He's still breathing."_ Hatori thought, relieved as he decided to examine his lover's wounds and their unborn child.

When the doctor's fingertips brushed along the pale skin of the dog, Hatori heard a low croaking voice. The voice said, "…He's…gone."

"Yes, he's in is room. He took his whip with him." The dragon said, not taking his eyes off of the red bleeding marks on Shigure's skin.

"No, no! It's not Akito…!" Shigure looked up suddenly into Hatori's olive green eyes. Tears were forming in his eyes.

"It's…it's…" Shigure continued but couldn't finish. Tears overwhelmed the dog as he covered his eyes with the back of his left hand and his right arm hugged his middle.

"Shigure…" Hatori put is left hand behind the dog's head then brought the writer's head close to him so Shigure's forehead touched his collarbone. The dragon rested his chin on top of the warm matted head and rubbed the back of the dog with his free hand to calm his lover.

After a long pause and the dog could only sniffle, Shigure spoke again, "…I guess we males are fated to not bear any children. Cursed or not!" The writer forced a chuckle. Hatori frowned as he moved his right hand so his right arm was wrapping around his lover, squeezing Shigure tight.

"Nnh! H-Ha'ri! Not too tight!" Shigure warned as he pushed against his lover's chest with his hands, giving a signal to the doctor that he wants out of the embrace. Hatori immediately let go, realizing that he forgot about the wounds on the dog.

"We should dress up those wounds before it's too late. Come on." The dragon slipped his left arm around Shigure's back and his right arm under the dog's legs. Hatori stood up, carrying the writer with him, bridal-style.

"Hey Ha'ri-" Shigure started, his voice was soft and gentle.

But it seemed the doctor only took in the words and not the tone it was used in. (Not good Ha'ri! XP) Hatori replied, "The distance isn't that far. I can manage." The dragon grunted as he moved his right arm to get a better grip on his lover's legs. Shigure slightly smiled.

"Hey, Ha'ri," The dog started again, repeating what he said a moment ago, "I see you're wearing one of my kimonos. The blue one."

"I was at your house so I didn't have a change of clothes."

"And you're a little damp. Did it rain?" Shigure went on.

"I was about to take a bath but I had to find you instead." Hatori explained as he shook his head once to say that the clouds didn't let their water fall on him.

"…Well…it looks good on you." The dog almost whispered as he fingered the collar of his blue kimono Hatori was wearing. The dragon took a slow turn and stopped for they were already at his room doorway. Hatori gripped the handle of the paper door with his foot, since his hands were full, and worked his way into opening his room door. It took a long process, as expected, but when he finally made a big enough opening for the two of them to fit through, Hatori immediately walked inside his room, not bothering to close the paper door behind him. He settled his injured lover in the middle of the floor then walked over to his cabinet to take out his giant first aid kit and a futon.

"Sit on this. It's more comfortable." Hatori told the dog as he rolled out the futon next to the writer. He put down is giant first aid kit and opened the lid, taking out a roll of gauze, cleansing material, and other material he needs to dress up Shigure's wounds that Akito had made.

"Now, I want you to strip to your underwear."

XxXxXxXxX

"I look like a mummy!" Shigure laughed as he looked at his wrapped body. Almost his whole entire body was wrapped in the gauze, except for his head, which had only a couple of scratches. Hatori covered those scratches with regular size bandages.

Ha ha…mummy…" The dog mumbled as he bowed his head again and laid a hand on his abdomen, sad for his and his lover's loss. The dragon let out a breath, already finished checking to make sure there wasn't any wounds undressed or any loose gauze. Hatori packed his giant first aid kit once again, and standing up put back the white box in his cabinet. But the doctor didn't return to the dog's side. Instead, he made a phone call. He picked up the phone that lay on his desk and punched in the numbers on the machine.

"Hello? I'd like to make an appointment…" Hatori talked into the phone. Shigure bent over so his bangs almost touched his ankles and wrapped his arms around himself. He blocked off what the dragon was going to say next. He didn't want to hear what his lover was going to say. But it had to be done. Or there might be some complications in the near future.

"…Shigure…" Hatori simply said when he got off the phone, not knowing what else to say. He walked back to the dog's side and when he was right behind the novelist, he dropped to his knees. He reached out to the dog with his left hand; his fingers lightly touching his lover's left shoulder.

"Shigure-" The dragon started again but stopped in mid sentence as he watched Shigure fall to his side like a doll. Because the doctor had a hold of the dog's left shoulder, Shigure fell on his left side.

"Shigure!" Hatori gasped as he instinctively moved the dog so the dog lay on his back. He was about to check for the writer's pulse but heard Shigure snore. The doctor sighed as he felt his shoulders relax.

_"It __**has**__ been a long morning…"_ Hatori thought as he positioned the dog so that the dog's body lay in a comfortable position then he took out a blanket from his cabinet and covered the writer up to his chin (like the month before). He tucked in his lover as best as he could then brushed away the stray bangs from the dog's face and kissed his forehead.

"I love you too, Shigure."

XxXxXxXxX

A few days later…

"Ring! Ring!"

_"Come on! Pick up already!"_ A certain silver haired yelled in his mind as he listened to the constant ringing in his ear. He stared at the telephone machine as he waited for a voice to speak on the other line.

"You have reached-" The pre-recorded voice spoke on the other line. Yuki slammed the phone down before the voice could continue. For the past three days, the rat had tried calling every Sohma house he could think of; every household he knew the dog goes to, even Hatori's. He wasn't that eager to find the writer. But Shigure is his guardian, plus the older man is the owner of the house he lives in. And also, he wanted Tohru to be at ease.

_"I hope Shigure is alright."_ She had said. Yuki sighed as he waited to call Hatori's phone again.

"Ring-" The phone rang suddenly. With surprised eyes, the silver haired immediately picked up the phone before the phone could ever ring again.

"H-Hatori?!" Yuki answered, too eagerly for his taste.

There was a pause on the other line, but the voice finally answered after a moment, "Ah, Yuki. Sorry for not being home. I-" The voice had a hint of tiredness in it but it was familiar to Yuki nonetheless.

"What happened to you? Why aren't you here? Why are you at Hatori's?" The rat spat out questions, interrupting the dog.

"W-well, you see-" The novelist started but was cut out again.

"Your editor has been looking for you! She has been at the door for almost every hour!" Yuki lowered his voice so no one could hear his yelling.

"Yuki-" Shigure started again in a serious tone. But the silver haired continued on.

"I keep hearing her urgent knocking when she comes! And Tohru talking to her, saying the same response every time… 'I'm sorry, he's not home.'" The rat got quiet after that. Even on the other line seemed empty.

"…I see you've been having a hard time for the last few days." Shigure spoke after a while.

"I bet you're having it easy. Your editor not bothering you…" Yuki said before thinking it through, in a low voice. He never did that before. Probably because of the stress he's been having these days.

"I'm still in the Main House, you know. I'm not too far from Akito!" Shigure slightly laughed. The silver haired winced at the name.

"…But I _have_ been worried…just like you…for the last two months…" The older man's voice was almost in a whisper that the young teen almost didn't catch what the dog said.

"I-I'm not worried." The silver haired quickly said. Shigure could just imagine the rat looking away to hide the blush on his cheeks. Yuki could hear a small laugh from the dog.

"…But Tohru is worried…" The young teen added in a small voice. Shigure had expected this response, knowing the young high school girl would worry about his disappearance.

"…Please, Shigure, come back." Yuki uneasily pleaded. The dog smiled at this as he thought of something to say.

"Yuki," The older man started, and then said, "I can't right now. Not immediately anyway!" The dog spoke in a cheerful tone.

"The Main House isn't that far."

"That's not what I meant," Shigure said in a serious tone again then paused, "You might see me next week. Don't worry-" The black haired spoke again in his cheerful tone but the silver haired cut him off.

"Next week?! You've been gone for three days already! Who wouldn't worry by now?!" Yuki raised his voice this time. There was silence on the other line, so the rat continued.

"Are you sick?!"

"…You could say that." The voice finally spoke. The silver haired got quiet again because of the tone the dog spoke in; a strained, heart-jerking tone.

"Shigure, who are you talking to?" A faint monotone voice spoke in the background on the other line.

"It's just Yuki, Ha'r-" Yuki heard the dog say then the scraping of nails in his ear: the phone was being pulled out of the writer's hand.

"I'm sorry, Yuki. He cannot see you today. He'll see you in the following week." The monotone voice, Hatori, told the rat over the phone.

"…I understand." The young teen said, resisting telling the older man that the dog told him those details already.

"Then there is nothing else we can tell you. Good b-"

"Wait!" Yuki blurted out suddenly.

"Hm?" Hatori said. The rat bit his lip.

_"What's wrong with me? I'm being childish right now!"_ The silver haired thought as he tightly closed his eyes.

"I…nevermind…" Yuki said in a soft tone, almost under his breath but loud enough to hear himself.

"Well then, take care." Hatori excused himself.

"Yeah…"

"Click…beep. Beep. Be-" The young teen heard. The line had ended. The rat let out a breath as he also put the phone he held back in its place.

"Next week, then…"

XxXxXxXxX

Next week…

"Knock, knock, knock."

"I'll get it!" Tohru said as she slid open the front door. Two beings stood right in front of her.

"Hey, how're you all doing?" The first being spoke.

"Sorry for intruding." The second being spoke. The young high school girl didn't speak for a while.

"Tohru, what's wrong?" The first being said as his eyebrows rose in alarm. The brunette was sniffling and rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm…just so…relieved! I thought…you weren't coming back!" Tohru said through sniffles. The first being closed his eyes and smiled to himself.

_"So Yuki didn't tell anyone…"_

"Hey Tohru, who's… Hey, didn't I tell ya it's not Halloween?" Kyo suddenly popped up, watching the two beings at the door.

"Shigure…?" Yuki also popped up. A surprised look with a tinge of worryness was on his face.

"Well, are you going to let us in?" The first being, Shigure, asked the brunette.

"Oh! Yes! That's right." Tohru blushed in embarrassment as her hair stuck up at end. She stepped aside from the front door to let in the guest and the owner of that house.

"Ah…it's good to be back home." Shigure smiled as he contently sighed. In the background, a certain silver haired watched the dog from the corner of his eye then vanished around the corner.

"Thank you." Said the second being in a low voice as he bowed his head once. He followed the writer inside.

"Oh, Shigure!! What happened?!" Tohru said in alarm as she saw white bandages wrapped around his wrists. The young teen only saw that much because he had both hands in his gray kimono sleeves.

"Didn't I just say that already?" Kyo said but his sentence was lost since it seemed like no one had heard him.

"Hm? Oh, you mean this?" Shigure paused to take his hands out of his sleeves to raise them out in front of him. Tohru and Kyo saw the writer's hands had little scars on his fingers and the backs of his hands. As the dog raised them, the two teens saw more white bandages wrapping up his arms; probably was wrapping all the way up to his shoulders.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Shigure laughed, trying to ease Tohru's nerves. The young brunette's eyebrows were almost knitted together and her brown eyes were wide with shock.

"Where did you…get these?" Tohru slowly looked into the older man's eyes.

The dog pointed to the man behind him with his thumb, "Dr. Hatori there! He has a whole supply of-"

"She meant your wounds." Kyo interrupted. The orange haired had his hands in his pockets, looking in another direction as of he found something interesting on the wall.

Shigure just smiled, "As I said, it's not as bad as it looks," then stuffed his hands back into his sleeves and walked past the young high school girl.

"Oh, Ha'ri, you can make yourself at home, you know." The writer continued over his shoulder as he continued to walk away from the three who stood by the front door. But the novelist suddenly stopped at the threshold of the living room. He seemed to sway as he stood there.

"Shigure, are you all right?" Tohru asked in a soft voice; her worry-nerves didn't cease.

It took a while before the man spoke, "…No, no…I'm not all right…I'm not…" Shigure mumbled as he repeated his sentence over and over. The young teen sensed this and started to walk slowly toward the older man.

"Shigure…?" Tohru cautiously raised her hand in front of her to touch Shigure's shoulder to calm him down a bit, but the dog got there first. Shigure turned around when Tohru was right behind him and with arms out wide, hugged her. A blue poof of smoke exploded seconds later. In the background, a certain orange haired was cringing from disgust. A certain doctor frowned in worry for he is going to have to fix a certain dog's bandages again. But the expression on Hatori's face relaxed into a slight smile for the scene that was happening in front of him was relieving and slightly hilarious at the same time. A black dog in the arms of a young high school girl, both beings crying their eyes out. The dragon decided to leave the two the way they are now since it has been a long while since the two had seen each other, in his lover's houses no less.

"Hey, Hatori, what're you doin' here?" Kyo spoke, facing the silent man. It seems like the cat didn't care about the hugging/crying scene anymore.

"He was in my care, so it was only appropriate for me to bring him back home."

"He's not a kid, you know." Kyo turned his head so he was staring at the wall again.

There was a pause then with a loving smile on the doctor's face, he agreed as he watched the crying dog, "Yes, he isn't."

At that response, Kyo faced Hatori again with an eyebrow raised. The cat tried to figure out why the old man had that look on his face then let out a breath and walked away.

"_Welcome back, Shigure."_ A certain rat thought as he returned to the threshold of the living room, except he was out-of-view from the three that was left at the front door. The silver haired smiled as well as he watched the scene.


	4. Epilogue

Epilogue- Chapter 4

"Hm?" Kyo stumbled upon a book that lay in Shigure's seat at the living room table. The book title read, "The start of Motherhood." The cat stared at the book for a moment until a certain writer took the book away from his hand.

"Ah! There it is!" Shigure had a smile on his face. He looked at the gaping orange head for a moment before he turned his back to the teen and started to walk back to where he came from, his room.

"What's with the book?" The dog suddenly heard the cat say. He turned his head to see the teen.

"I'm a writer, you know," Shigure paused to turn his head forward and chant, "research! Research!" Kyo's hair stood on end as his eye twitched. The cat let out a breath and noted that his question was a one-time thing and he wasn't going to do that again.

XxXxXxXxX

As the dog closed his bedroom door, his smile turned into a soft smile.

"…I guess I don't need this anymore." Shigure put the book he took from Kyo back into its place in his bookshelf. When the novelist sat in his desk seat, he let out a breath and looked at his computer screen. The tapping of the keyboard was heard in the silent room. A gentle breeze blew through the open door that led into the dog's garden, moving a few bangs that hung from the writer's head. Brown eyes stared intently at the glaring white light as the eyes watched the black letters appear on the screen. In the background, black, shiny, eyes watched Shigure work at his desk. A pink tongue slid across an upper fuzzy white lip then was gone a second later; it slipped back between two fuzzy white lips. White ears perked up when the tapping of the keys paused for a second. A white, strong tail violently moved left to right as four white paws moved eagerly to go forward. When the clock on the wooden wall showed a minute had passed, opaque white nails clawed the wooden floor and the jingle of bells that hung around a rough furred neck cut the heavy pregnant silence.

"Ah!" Shigure gasped when something strong and heavy pushed itself between his lifted arms and his lap.

"Woof!" A pure white medium sized dog with bells stringed around his neck barked once as he lay in the novelist's lap. Shigure could feel the fast rising and falling of the dog's chest on his thighs and right ankle as the white dog's pink tongue hung out of his mouth.

"You know, your owner is going to find out that you have gone into a stranger's house soon." The writer said as he laid back into his chair, deciding to take a break sincec the dog is in his lap and all.

"Woof!" The dog answered.

"Well, you better go before he/she worries about you." Shigure kindly smiled as he patted the dog's head. The dog just continued to lie there, not going to leave anytime soon.

"Alright then, suit yourself. You'll be uncomfortable, if you don't mind." The writer leaned over so his hands reached the keyboard again and began to type. As he leaned over, his stomach pressed against the dog's side, making the writer's body slightly bounce back and forth. Shigure sighed after a moment as he sat back in his chair again, slightly annoyed. He looked down at the dog as he raised his eyebrow. The dog continued to pant, seeming that the writer leaning on him didn't happen at all.

"Ring! Ring!" The phone on Shigure's desk suddenly rang. Shigure leaned over the white dog again and picked up his phone before it rang the forth time.

"Hello? Shigure- hm?"

"Hah…Shigure…"An angry, raspy voice spoke on the other line. The novelist frowned when he heard a loud, hollow throwing-up sound in his ear then slowly smiled when the sound lessened.

"Ah, I see you're doing well, Ha'ri."

"…That's one way to put it…" Hatori gagged as he emptied the rest of his breakfast in his little trashcan that he held in his hand. A tinge of sadness pierced the dog's heart as he remembered the exciting but horrible feelings of the Experience, which his lover is experiencing right now. But happiness took over his thoughts as he remembered last week's conversation in the Main House.

_"Akito, Hatori and I wish to have this child." I said as I had my head down in respect. Hatori was sitting a few feet behind me, watching Akito nonetheless. I was kneeling in front of Akito, who was sitting in a chair._

_Akito didn't speak for a moment, "Heh, heh," he laughed, "So you're pregnant again, mutt?"_

_I gritted my teeth, "No, Akito, it's not me this time."_

_"Then who is it?" Akito wasn't laughing anymore._

_"Hatori. Hatori's the one who's carrying our child." I heard Akito let out a long breath._

_"You breeding mutt," Akito started through clenched teeth, then chuckled, "Heh, heh. Fine. I'll let you have your _**child**_, since you _asked_ me so nicely."_

_"Thank you, Akito."_

_"I wonder what's he planning…"_ Shigure thought.

"Shigure…" Hatori panted.

"Hm? What is it, Ha'ri?"

"You did this to me."

"Now, now. We're both guys."

"…You got pregnant…"

"Now it's the other way around!" Shigure smiled.

"…It's my fault you got hurt…and we lost him…" The writer heard sobbing on the other line.

"Come on, don't cry now. We were given a second chance." Shigure said in a soft tone.

"…You're right." Hatori sniffled.

"Now, get some rest." Shigure instructed.

"Hm," The doctor agreed, "I love you, Shigure." The dragon added.

"I love you too, Ha'ri. Have a good morning's rest."

"Click." The other line ended. The novelist put the phone he was holding back on the machine. Shigure sat back in his chair again and ran his fingers through the rough fur of the dog.

"Woof!" The white dog suddenly backed out of Shigure's lap then ran out the door he came in from.

"Ah! So you're leaving me now?" The writer called after the dog. The black haired watched the dog run until he didn't see the white flash of fur anymore then smiled as he closed his eyes.

"Now then, back to work!" Brown eyes flashed and the tapping of the keyboard was heard in the quiet room once again.

XxXxXxXxX

3 years later…

"Mama! Papa! Wook! A wock!" A black haired, greenish-brown eyed girl named Abby exclaimed as she held a river rock in the air to show her parents. The three of them were in the writer's garden.

"Ah, yes, very smooth." Shigure smiled as he touched the river rock. Then their little girl was off again, looking for more rocks in the garden.

Hatori watched their little girl play with a soft smile on his lips, "Do you think Akito knew beforehand that our child was going to be born without the zodiac curse burdening her?"

"Well, you know as well as I do that there can't be another dog or another dragon born when there's already a dog or a dragon in the world. And anyways, all the zodiac animals were reunited with their master and the curses is finally narrowing down to a small amount of people, getting smaller still." The writer exclaimed.

Hatori's smile widened when he saw their little girl run toward then again, "Yes, a great relief to all of us."

XxXxXxXxX

Author's note: Augh! Hatori OOC-ness! Anyways, Hatori is three months along (just like how Shigure started out! :P) The dog was just there to make Shigure smile and to give Shigure company. Good doggy! Well, it's finally finished. Hope you had fun reading this story, and reviewing it!


	5. Note: Revised

Note

I'm sorry about promising you another chapter. That will have to hold. XD I can't find a good idea that would make The Present a little bit better. XD I might not even change things in there. XD Well, I hope you had fun reading!


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